Transformation Complete

As the saying went, life and death were fated, wealth and honor determined by heaven. They were all Hydra comrades living together, so why were their lives turning out so differently?

The ten people in one room were all dead, their souls sacrificed. Yet the ten people in the other room remained safe and sound. They faced entirely different fates.

"Raw materials collected. Human modification program commencing!"

Following the utterly impersonal electronic voice, the surgical chairs restraining those fortunate survivors suddenly straightened, laying them flat on their backs. Mechanical arms descended from the ceiling and, without ceremony, tore away every shred of their clothing until they were completely naked.

"Preparations complete. Beginning demonic overpower rune inscription."

A long, narrow steel needle glowing with a faint green light instantly appeared among the mechanical claws. It rapidly extended and retracted, piercing their skin to tattoo them.

"Oh, what a huge difference..." Peggy Carter looked at the scene before her, recalling the past as she could not help complaining. "Look at them—inside a room with extremely tight security, injected with a scientifically measured dose of safe anesthetic, then attended to by cutting-edge mechanical arms."

"Now look at me. I was taken to some decrepit factory that had probably been abandoned for years, knocked unconscious, and thrown onto a concrete slab. Then some damn gay demon used a dagger bought from a street stall to put runes on me. God, I still don't even know whether that dagger had been sterilized."

"I sprayed it with a mouthful of whiskey. Since you didn't get an infection, I guess the sterilization worked pretty well..." Evenson awkwardly rubbed his chin, then adjusted Peggy Carter's shoulder armor. "Times had changed!"

"Back then, I hadn't built up such a big operation yet. Besides, you should be proud of it.